Redknapp: Getting rid of Taarabt was a priority

QPR manager Harry Redknapp insists getting Fulham attacker Adel Taarabt out of the club was a high priority of his over the close-season.

Published

9 October 2013

Redknapp – who rarely played Taarabt at Tottenham before selling him to QPR in 2010 – was frustrated by the attitude of the Morocco international and several of his team-mates last term as the Loftus Road outfit were relegated from the Premier League.

Tasked with winning the club an immediate return to the top flight, Redknapp has revealed how keen he was to rid his squad of Taarabt and his attitude.

Taarabt - who netted five times in 31 Premier League appearances last season - subsequently joined Fulham on a season-long loan, linking up with former Tottenham manager Martin Jol, and has made seven appearances in all competitions for the club already, scoring one goal.

In his new book, Always Managing: My Autobiography, which is being serialised in The Daily Mail, Redknapp said: "I spent all summer trying to remedy our problems, shifting certain players out, getting others with the right attitude in.

"The close-season was a frustrating time for me as I spent most of it on crutches following a knee operation. With perfect timing, Adel Taarabt promptly got up to his old tricks.

"He turned up late for our training camp in Devon so we sent him home. There were the usual excuses (from Adel) but we're not standing for it any more. There has to be a different attitude if Rangers are to return to the Premier League.

"I know some of these players think they are better than this division but I've been down there and I know there are teams and players that will eat you alive if you are not fully committed.

"My priority was to get rid of the troublemakers. Get rid of them before they got rid of us."